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"Tougher Offshore Scrutiny? Not Yet"

"When a government deadline for new safety management programs at offshore drilling rigs and wells approached in November 2011, oil and gas industry leaders were bracing for tough scrutiny and plenty of penalties. But that scrutiny never materialized."

"More than a year later, federal regulators haven’t launched a single audit of those newly required safety and environmental management systems, which are meant to slash mistakes and shrink risks. Instead, just six companies have voluntarily submitted their own audits to the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement ahead of a Nov. 15, 2013, deadline.

And though the safety bureau last year proposed adding teeth to the mandate and requiring third parties – rather than the companies themselves – to audit the programs, that regulation hasn’t advanced since then. Bureau officials say it is now on track to be finalized early next year."